Even with a mostly cloudy sky, the solar array at DataScan Technologies in Alpharetta was humming along at 80 percent Tuesday morning.
The rooftop system, one of the largest in metro Atlanta, has the capacity to offset the entire load created by the data center -- generating 285,500 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually.
"We are a company that takes seriously our role in the community," said Colin Brown, president and CEO of JM Family Enterprises, DataScan's parent. DataScan provides technical support for the banking and finance industry.
The project comes in the wake of the state's new Clean Energy Tax Credit passed earlier this month.
"If we were not in partnership with the state of Georgia, this would not have happened," Brown said. "The decisions we have to make as a business is obviously in terms of what makes good business sense."
Most businesses, if offered an opportunity to approach a get-even point, will follow the path of environmental-friendly operation, he said.
The 24,000-square-foot array includes 1,170 panels arranged to avoid shadows on the roof year-round, and it cost about $2 million. Company officials said, with federal and state tax incentives, they expect to recoup their investment in seven and a half years.
The state tax credits, passed late this legislative session, double the old $2.5 million set aside for the credits in 2012, when the old credit was set to expire. It also extends the new credits at $5 million per year through 2014.
Panel manufacturer Solyndra says the system is virtually weatherproof. Because the collectors are tubular, they can withstand winds of up to 130 mph and hail the size of golfballs. Snow and ice merely add to the reflectivity of the sunlight.
The DataScan system is set up to operate only during daytime, with no battery storage. Power is channeled directly from the array to the building's electrical system, said Jim Reed, director of tech services. At night, the building is supplied through Sawnee EMC.
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